'Born to Run' Book Review

Christopher McDougall has a nice bank account thanks in part to his book, Born to Run. And it's easy to understand why, as for people like me, who like jogging & pushing the limits, a bit of traveling and some sprinkling of mysticism, it makes for a very interesting read. Actually, I got my hands on the book Sunday night after a great KFMH3 run (thanks, Dog), and finished it very early Wednesday morning after spending close to an hour trying to put my baby back asleep. I managed to sleep another hour before heading out to w*rk, and slow jogging the 7k back to my house (the best part was meeting this woman, this time in my jogging shoes, not on my bicycle). I got the will to do the run from the book.

The main thesis, which seems to me well argued and researched, although the text sources are pretty inexistent, is that humans climbed the food chain by being long-distance-running hunters. From our ability to run (not walk) farther than any other predator, thanks to great evolutionary developments like sweating to prevent over-heating and a ligament at the back of our skull which allows for our heavy heads to move coordinately with our bodies (apparently all running mammals have it, walking mammals don't), we were able, in the long run (pun intended), to out run faster preys so they couldn't relax long enough to catch their breath. This ability has been observed in some African tribes, and the author goes so far as say that this was made possible by the development of our brain, which allowed us to 'predict' and put ourselves in the mind of our hoofed prey, a creative act that is at the base of pretty much all artistic and scientific endeavors (if x happened in a circumstances, maybe y will happen in b circumstances; if I were a deer, what would I do in this situation?).

A good part of the book is based on the Tarahumara, a used-to-be-secluded tribe of Native Americans living in Mexico, and known for their running feats, shaming pretty much anyone around you claiming to be an ultramarathoner (especially me, although I don't consider myself one: I might have jogged/hiked two 100km charity events and a 56km trail as a challenge, I've never actually ran such an event; I've never even finished a full marathon). His romantic view of the tribe is a great read (and I can sympathize, if not agree, with his claim that long distance running is beneficial for the mind and spirit as much as for the body), but one should not be forgotten that his account is a bestseller book, and not a peered-reviewed scientific paper, allowing a bit of creative freedom along the way (I assume). He deplores the disappearance of their old world style of life, and yet, by making them 'famous', he contributes to that last tragic act.

Perhaps my personal beef with the book, however, are the numerous attacks on my favorite ultramarathoner (because he's basically the only one I know), Dean Karnazes. I'm sure McDougall's claim that Dean is a bit vain are probably justified up to a certain point; that some of his exploits edge toward publicity stunts is an acceptable point of view. But then Karno, through these feats, like running 50 full marathons in 50 days in 50 different states and doing a charity 199-mile team relay run solo, did make the sport of ultrarunning much more popular, therefore helping the sale of Born to Run. While he spends a lot of time writing about how long distance running seems to make people more balanced and better humans, his argument is defeated by his own gratuitous attack on an athlete whose only negative point seem to have been chosen by some marketers to be the poster boy for what was going to become a popular sport anyways. Shooting the messenger is never a virtuous deed, in my humble opinion.

In a way, it reminds me of when snowboarding entered the Olympics; many in the sport shunned the event, feeling it betrayed the true soul of the sport, and I understand their point of view. On the other hand, it helped legitimize an activity that is now the bread and butter of thousands of athletes, creative designers, factory workers, lift operators and so on around the world. And while the focus is on the big names getting gold medals in the olympics, it doesn't stop 'true souls' from enjoying the activity they love, and to this day, many snowboarders like myself follow the progression of big mountain riders like Jeremy Jones and Xavier de la Rue much more than the antics of pipe and park jocks, even if their double-corked 1080s are something amazing to witness.

So in conclusion, if you enjoy running, especially longer distances, you will enjoy this book. You might even be tempted in trying out a full matathon or barefoot running, which according to more and more doctors is the natural way to do it (running injuries are more common since the advent of "modern" jogging shoes, that go against what Michelango described as one of the most beautiful pieces of engineering, i.e. the arch of the foot; and the book does present some evidence of this). If you are looking for motivation to start jogging or go longer, the book can also prove inspirational. But remember to take some of the facts with a grain salt. Actually, I have started to read it again, taking some notes for further research into performance and nutrition, which seem to be more than grains of salt.